The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-09-02

AOFh 10 1DOnes E.
1t is an oft-repeated story. says The
San Francisco Bulletin, that the CnIM
nese who emigrate from Their homo
for d time, no matter to what cline
mas be, always expect that their bond
will be returned to a final resting-plat
in the Flowery Kingdom if anything bd
falls them, and they are not permittebL
to return in life. Joseph in EgypB7
foreseeing the bondage of the childreIa
OF Israel and their subsequent deliversl
anee, commanded that his bones should
be carried out with them WREN they
went into the land of Canaan so, too,
the Chiaagan who comes TO this or
other country has an agreement with
his people that his bones shall be re-
turned to the land of Cathay.
During the the five years succeeding
1880 the number ofbodies returned was
comparatively light, aud from the am
nual reports the disinterments and re.
movals Of MGoGg0lfans were less than
those of whites. In l884-85 the largest
number was returned in the years.
Since 1880 the number of Chinese dis
inferred and returned to China a
been AS follows: In 1880-8l, 20; 1881
80, 20; 1928. 50; l833-84, 235; 1884.
IS, 1852; 1886. 81. !
Previous to the present year the
bodies OF those returned to China have
been those who have been looked after
in an especial manne by friends, or BY
the one of the Six companies of which
the deceased was a member. Natural
ly during the early years of the Mongo-
Ian invasion there were many who
died and were buried of whom no &C.
counting was taken by the companies.
A large number of such were buried in
the old Yerba Buena cemetery. These,
on removal, were buried in Laurel Hill
cemetery. Recently the Six companies
decided as a matter of charity to return
to China the bones of all Chinese in
Laurel Hill and the City cemetery who
had no friends. Accordingly for more
than two months past disinterments
have been and still are in progress at
Laurel Hill, More than five hundred
have been found, and two hundred
more are expected to be exhumed. AS
the cemetery records with reference
to these interments are misplaced aud
could not be found, and the head and
foot boards, were rotted of, it was
necessary to dig up a very large terri
tory to find them. Some days as few
as five were found, and others as many
as twenty-five. The plot on which the
work is now being done is overgrown
with live-oak trees, some of them
twenty-feet ia height. There smoothing
to indicate graves.
These disinterments are made under
the provisions of sections / and 2 of an
act entitled ''An Act to Protect Public
Health from Infection Caused by Ex-
humation and Removal oil Remains of
Deceased Persons approved April l.,
1878.
Sections 5 and 4 provide penalties
for disinterment and transportation of
bodies without perm is.
Under another section, on permit
being granted. bodies lay be disin-
TERED and removed to another eeme-
terry in the county without payment OF
any fee.
In the case of the bodies now being
exhumed for shipment the law is being
carried out to the letter as near as can
be done under the existing circum-
stances. Only four of those recently
taken up had any name or record Of
death, and one of those shows that the
body was originally inferred in Yerba
Buena cemetery in 1854. The only
thing that can be done is to make ont
the permits in fictitious names. Two
are issued for each body, one for the
cemetery and the other to accompany
the remains. These permits are in the
form prescribed, and are signed by the
health officer and the secretary OF the
board of health. To see that every
thing is done according to law, the in
spector of -disinterments, John Moran.
is present at all disinterments. and
makes Il record of every disinterment.
thus insuring The collection of the city's
$40 per body. Then the Cemetery
charges 80 fer each renewal and Of
course is watehful that all bodies taken
up ARE accounted for. It has two men
ON The ground, and the Chinese six
companies also have two men on the
watch. The bones of each body as
they are dug UP are placed in a zinc
box. strongly made, 22x8xS. and the
boxes are dramatically sealed al the
cemetery with solder. They are then
conveyed to q room in the building at.
No. T34 Pacific street, opening on Bull
Run alley. and kept there to await the
sailing of the steamer. These boxes
containing the bones arc packed in
cases. prepared expressly, which hold
eight Of them, and are then shipped
By cubic measurement instead Of hy
weight. as ia the case Of ordinary
corpses.
In digging some. days ago q body Of
i sailor who had died at sea several
years ago was found that had been
buried in a pitch-pine box. 1t was ia a
remarkable state Of preservation. and